Patience

. . . the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit (Ecclesiastes 7:8b).

As hard as it can be at times, Christians need to be patient. Impatient servants can do more harm than good if they aren't careful, and witnessing won't be as effective. Patience and humility often go hand-in-hand. Arrogant people are often selfish and impatient. They want things done their way and on their timetable.

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).

Impatience may be a sign of a hard heart. Such a heart resists the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit and struggles to put its full trust in God. However, Scripture reminds us that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit and a reflection of Christ's loving, long-suffering nature. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can train ourselves to be more patient.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22).

When we surrender our impatience to God, He will soften our hearts and teach us to wait with grace and trust in His divine plan. The more we yield to Him, the more we will grow in wisdom, compassion, and understanding, thereby becoming effective witnesses of His mercy and truth. How patient are you? You can pray for more today.

Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

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